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Union-Pearson rail fares to be $27.50 one-way

The steep $27.50 one-way, adult ticket price for the new Union Pearson Express (UPX) train will be deeply discounted for many riders.

Airport workers in particular will be able to buy a one-way ticket for $10 or a monthly pass for $300 that puts the cost of a single ride down to about $7.50 for a five-day-a-week commuter, said Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig.

He announced the long-awaited prices for the train on Wednesday, together with Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, at the UPX Pearson terminal — pre-empting a Thursday meeting at which the provincial agency's board is expected to approve the fares.

But airport workers and government critics say the Liberal government needs to price the $456-million, 23-km line so it is affordable to all commuters when it opens in spring.

"This is the rail link we've waited generations to see built. Publicly funded transit should be public transit," said Sean Smith of the Toronto Airport Council of Unions, representing about 40,000 Pearson employees.

Presto users will be eligible for discounts, down to $19 for an adult one-way ticket. Families, students and seniors will also get special rates and riders who travel only as far as the stops at Weston and Bloor St. will also pay less.

“I believe the cost is reasonable when compared with other options,” said McCuaig.

“I want to be clear, UPX is not designed as a commuter service,” he said. “It’s intended to really be an extension of the flight.”

There are other services in the works for commuters, said McCuaig, including the Mississauga Transitway that will go to Eglinton Ave. and Renforth Dr. by 2019. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is also supposed to be extended west to Pearson from Mount Dennis, but there is no schedule to do that, and Metrolinx is talking to the city about the implications on that plan of Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack scheme.

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Wynne said UPX will give a “fantastic first impression” of Toronto to thousands of visitors to next summer’s Pan Am Games as they view the skyline from the elevated guideway into Terminal 1.

“It will mean a sharpened edge for the region’s economy, because a world-class city like Toronto competes for talent and investment with London, with Shanghai and other global centres,” she said.

The Union-Pearson Express, which will launch an airport rail service in Toronto this spring, pulls into the airport terminal Wednesday for a news conference about service and fares. (Tess Kalinowski / TORONTO STAR)

Premier Kathleen Wynne, along with Minister Steven Del Duca and Bruce McCuiag, CEO of Metrolinx, toured tour the new Union Pearson Express, a dedicated train that runs from Union Station in Toronto to Pearson Airport. (Bernard Weil / Toronto Star)

Engineer Bob Methot takes in the sights at Pearson Airport Terminal 1 from behind the controls of the new UP Express. (Bernard Weil / Toronto Star)

While Metrolinx has a responsibility to make UPX financially viable, Tory said he wants to make sure there’s cost-effective airport transit.

“If you’re a family of four, there has to be a way to get there that is preferably for the price of a TTC fare,” he said.

Metrolinx says it will take three to five years and a ridership of about 2.5 million annually for UPX to recover its estimated operating costs of $68 million to $70 million a year.

That’s fine for a private operator who has to recoup their costs, “but this is now the taxpayers,” said NDP MP Mike Sullivan (York South-Weston). “For the provincial government to say to the taxpayers, ‘We’re going to gouge you because we only want to let time-pressed business executives (on)....’ These people have no clue what real public transit is."

UPX will be furnished with 18 trains, running up to 400 trips a day, every 15 minutes. The trip from Union will take 25 minutes. In longer stretches, the diesel multiple units, which incorporate engines under the coaches, will travel at up to 130 km/h. Average speeds will be lower.

Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig has described the Union Pearson Express (UPX) train from Pearson to Union Station as an extension of the flight experience.

Travellers will be able to check in for their flights at the UPX terminal downtown and walk straight off the train into Terminal 1, a short walk from the Airport Link.

Some of the features that make UPX a premium service include:

Plush seats in an elegant mottled brown, part of a scheme of grays, greens and browns punctuated by some bright orange and yellow.

Tray tables like those on an airplane, to accommodate work or a snack that travellers will be able to buy at the UPX terminals. Discreet hooks pull down for hanging jackets and coats.

Luggage can be stored in full-height racks near the doors within the sightlines of the seats, so people don't have to carry their bags through the cabin but have the security of seeing they're safe. Overhead storage bins like those used on planes are also available for smaller hand baggage.

Platform edge doors at the Union and Pearson terminus points mean riders never have to go outside. If they're heading to the sun in the middle of winter they can wear their shorts and flip-flops in a climate-controlled environment.

Free Wi-Fi.

Open gangways like the new TTC Toronto Rocket trains allow riders to walk through the two coaches.

On-board washrooms.

On-board ticketing means riders can pay their fare on board for a $2 premium on the price. Fares can also be purchased online at upexpress.com or via prestocard.ca or the stations.

Each train will have a three-person crew — two engineers and a customer service attendant.

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